Kitchen Design - urgent!

[Hoppahouse]

Hi, we are currently at the start of a house extension (kitchen / dining / living room) and the builders are asking questions about where the sink / hob etc are going...

We do have plans and I thought I was set, but now I'm having a wobble and need some help please!

I have attached the kitchen plans and DIY kitchen design (which is the same as the Ikea and Magnet design)

I am now wondering if we should take the units round a bit so a sink could go by a window?

Please take a look and let me know your thoughts / ideas. Thank you

Just my preference but yes I'd have more cabinets under the window and the sink there so the island is just a lovely big clear space for prepping food, eating etc

Where's your fridge going out of interest?

Thank you 😊

We planned to put the fridge and freezer in the area marked with blue.
I'm just not sure there will be enough space to have the worktop go round to the wall (marked in green).
The builder has said we can take the wall (Marked in red) out though, so that could help?

Happy to think of an alternative.

Honestly, I think that's a dreadful design. The worktop overhang is too wide for most types of worktop. And wouldn't serve three people anyway and two people take up the same plate space and knee space. What a load of rubbish . Seriously go to a proper designer and get something worthy of the money you intend to spend .

Don't run the units round the corner by the window, it'll make a real pinch point on the island. I would prefer my sink on the wall and my hob in the island, otherwise your island will become cluttered with plates etc. I think the layout of worktops works well as it is, if you try to make it any bigger it'll feel cramped.

If you add extra units along the bottom wall, it'll all need a redesign. I think you'd have 2 options:

• shrink island to 90cm. Make walkways each 15cm narrower to make the rest of the 60cm you need for the new units. Then do you live with a shorter end breakfast bar or move it to one of the long sides, bringing perchers into the way of the cook, or wrap it round the top left corner?
• or keep island as it is and accept a huge compromise of losing 30 cm off each walkway. That would take it down to 85cm in front of a big fridge. Nope. Too tight. Why would you do that when you have such a nice big space to play with?

Have you already gone through the L shape base units with island option earlier in the design process, and ruled it out in favour of the bigger island? If so, stick to your guns.

Also carrying the worktop round the corner means compromising that last 60cm of worktop to the right of the hob. Corner worktop adds expense but not much function and you compromise the cupboard beneath too.

I would prefer my sink on the wall and my hob in the island, otherwise your island will become cluttered with plates etc.

I agree with this.

Also think about your 'work triangle' - the three most important spots in any kitchen are the hob, the sink, and the fridge. Consider how easy it will be to do the everyday tasks. How easy will it be to carry a pan of boiling veg over to the sink to drain? Where is your kettle going in relation to your fridge - you don't want to walk halfway round your kitchen to pop a splash of milk in your tea every time you make a cup. If you're having a dishwasher, you want it close to the sink and bin. You'll want your pans close to your hob and your utensil drawers close to your prep area.

I find plans very confusing so I'm ignoring most of it but I would definitely want my hob in the island and sink by the wall, preferably under the window.

@DontMakeMeShushYou has some very good advice.

Hob in island tends to mean a more expensive extractor. Whether that's significant when you're running hob electrics or plumbing to the island anyway, no idea.

Ah I see the green area you've marked now. No, there's only a 62cm gap between that and the island. You'd need to change the island, that's too tight.

Personally, I would have a smaller island which would be your prep area and breakfast bar and have both the hob and the sink around the wall.

Oh, and you need to consider whether people will be walking through the kitchen from one door to the other regularly. You don't want to find yourself standing in the thoroughfare whilst you're trying to cook.

Don't put your sink in that 'green corner'. Imo you need much more space around a sink.

Thank you all.

This is actually the architect plan - we have definitely decided to have the hob on the island as also can't stand the thought of it being cluttered with dirty dishes!
So, here's another picture update - the yellow are stools for seating area all the way along one side of the island. The red is the fridge & freezer. Black for the hob and blue for the sink.
Do we need two tall cupboards - or just one with oven next to it and more worktop?

Thanks for the help - The builder started throwing different suggestions in to the mix, but I'm going to stick with this plan as you are all right about the space!

Here's the picture 🙄

Fwiw I think the island is the wrong way round and too dominant for the space. Turn it round 90 degrees and reduce the size. I think you could also look at reducing the size of the opening to the dining area which would give you more useable wall space for shelves or shallow cabinets for storing glassware, occasional use stuff, etc.

I prefer that, but I would want a bit more worktop. Re tall cupboards, it depends how much stuff you have. Are you having shallow depth units tucked under the breakfast bar on the bottom edge for extra storage?

Yes, shallow depth cupboards under the seating area of the island. One the other side with be three lots of large pan drawers / drawers.

I can't upload any more pictures today (reached my 6 a day limit 🤦‍♀️) but I'll put the Ikea design on tomorrow.

I would keep to 2 tall cupboards, we have only one in our kitchen and I would like another. I would consider moving them to the other end though and shift the sink up to give a better fridge-hob-sink triangle. And fwiw I like the island that way.

I think it's a really poor design too. How long is the island unit? Is there a way you can get rid of the bit of wall sticking out next ti where you have the f/f? I'd try to get rid of that and rotate the island 90 degrees as wowfudge suggests. It seems very weird to have people sitting with their backs to the doors / garden / view.

😬
Ok I'll have a rethink and see what other options there are.
The island can be whatever size we want I guess, but we had been thinking 3x1.2.

Would you turn the island round? Or make it smaller?

And yes, I think we can get rid of most of the sticking out wall.

I'd rotate the island too. The position of the hob relative to the sink and fridge might be annoying too - if you need to drain a heavy pan then you're walking round the end of the island, and you'll be trying to cook whilst kids want in to the fridge for a drink etc.

Would we have space having a different way round?

I’m questing they are bi-folding doors out of the kitchen?

I know this is a complete re-design suggestion. But personally I would have omitted the doors (as it looks like there are also doors out from the dining area) and created more “useable” kitchen space.

I would have a full run of units along both external walls. Shallow full height units where the fridge freezer is, and then the island with the seats looking out. This would have them contained the circulation area / seating area to one part of the kitchen, and allowed view out from the island. The window I would have run the cull into the worktop, to add depth.

What is the rest of the floorplan like? You seem to have a lot of doors and openings (as pp mentions) and it's limiting your options a fair bit I think.

I'm guessing the door at the top left leads to your hall? Is that needed? I'm wondering if you could instead straighten that section off so the bit where the fridge freezer is would be a full run of units up to the dining room opening.